Kejriwal flays 'Gujarat model', Modi government

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday accused the central government of trying to fail development work in Delhi and said people have been "cheated in the name of Gujarat model". Addressing the National Council of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Kejriwal made one of his most scathing attacks on the Narendra Modi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "The world is appreciating the AAP government whereas the central government is trying its best to scuttle our efforts (to develop Delhi)," he said. "But still, we are moving ahead and working for the people of Delhi." He detailed the achievements of the AAP government since taking power in February 2015 including providing "cheapest" and uninterrupted electricity. "Our opponents said we won't be able to supply uninterrupted power, that too on cheapest rates. "We are also providing 20,000 liters of water to each family for free. And in fact Delhi is saving huge amount of water." He said his government had waived off water bills totalling Rs.2,500 crore and would build 8,000 new classrooms within two months. He said Delhi's 'Mohalla Clinics' of model clinics had brought free medicines and tests to people's doorsteps. Every clinic was built in just Rs.20 lakh. "Even the US says they need to learn from Mohalla Clinics. By now, we have 100. The number will be 1,000 by year-end." Claiming no government had done in 10-15 years what his government had achieved in just over a year, he said: "This is happening because there is an honest government in Delhi. We are saving money in each project." In contrast, he accused the central government of building a flyover in Bihar for Rs.3,000 crore when its cost estimate was Rs.509 crore. This, he said, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kejriwal said he visited Gujarat and found schools and healthcare there in a bad shape. "Now everyone knows what the Gujarat model is. People have been cheated in the name of Gujarat model. "There is a Delhi model of governance and the Gujarat model. We invite everyone to compare the two models." The AAP leader accused the BJP and its allied groups of doing "gundagardi" in the name of making people say "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and threatening to beat up those who did not raise the slogan. He said the tens of thousands who thronged the Ramlila Maidan here during Gandhian Anna Hazare's protest in 2011 chanted "Bharat Mata ki Jai" from their heart. "See what they are doing in Kashmir," he said, in an obvious reference to the clashes between Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri students at the National Institute of Technology in Srinagar. He said the people of Delhi "are so happy that if elections happen today, they won't win even a single seat". But he quickly added that the AAP's aim was not just to win elections. "We are here to change the system. We will fight to win. "We will fight elections but before that we have to work hard. We have to fight to win 90 seats out of 100. "We will fight elections to make governments and change the system," he said, without outlining the AAP's long-term electoral plans beyond Punjab.